×

ROBOT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS FOR DETERMINING DOCKING STATION POSE INCLUDING MOBILE ROBOTS AND METHODS USING SAME

  • US 20160143500A1
  • Filed: 11/20/2015
  • Published: 05/26/2016
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2012
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
Patent Images

1. A mobile robot system comprising:

  • a docking station configured to connect to a power supply, including;

    at least two pose-defining fiducial markers positioned on opposing sides of a midline of the docking station, the at least two pose-defining fiducial markers having a predetermined spatial relationship with respect to one another and/or to a reference point on the docking station such that a docking path to the base station can be determined from one or more observations of the at least two pose-defining fiducial markers; and

    one or more charging contacts;

    a mobile cleaning robot including;

    a chassis,a motorized drive system connected to the chassis and having motorized tracks configured to move the mobile robot;

    a floor cleaning system configured to clean a floor surface of the space as the robot transits through the space;

    a wireless communication system having a wireless communication transmitter/receiver configured to communicate with a computer network to send and receive information from a remote user terminal, the remote user terminal being configured to communicate with and control the robot;

    a mapping system configured to map a space and to determine a position of the robot relative to the space; and

    a pose sensor assembly comprising a camera configured to output an output signal comprising image data;

    a controller configured to analyze the image data from the pose sensor assembly, the controller having the predetermined spatial relationship of the at least two pose-defining fiducial markers stored in a controller memory,wherein the controller is configured to determine a docking station pose that is based on the spatial relationship of the pose-defining fiducial markers and the signals from the pose sensor assembly, and to locate a docking station pose on a map of the surface traversed by the mobile robot, andthe controller is further configured to path plan a docking trajectory including a path having a terminal portion aligned with a docking lane of the docking station, based on a current robot position on the map of the surface and the docking station pose and to provide instructions to the motorized drive to move the mobile robot along the path of the docking trajectory and into the docking lane aligned with the docking station.

View all claims
  • 4 Assignments
Timeline View
Assignment View
    ×
    ×